Making the Most of Opportunities

People around the world focused on the Women's Snowboardcross at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. American, Lindsey Jacobellis, had a slight lead in the group of four. One Canadian fell and was later carried off the course. A second Canadian went through the safety fence and later recovered to take the Bronze medal. Switzerland's Tanja Frieden landed on the back of Lindsey's board, which caused her to wobble and allow Lindsey to take a commanding lead. On the next to last hill, Lindsey looked back to survey the field. Upon seeing her lead, she took her eyes off the finish line and began an early celebration. A simple trick to proclaim her victory ended in a wipeout! As Lindsey lay on the ground, scrambling to reenter the track, her Swiss competitor passed her and claimed the Gold medal. After the race, the TV broadcasters commented that Lindsey's face did not reflect one who had just earned a Silver medal, but rather one who had just given away a Gold medal.

Lindsey's tragedy poses a great reminder to Christians. The apostle Paul said, 1 Cor 9:24 (NIV) "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." He also reminded the believers at Philippi to "Forget those things which are behind and to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (KJV) Even the author of Hebrews says, "...Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." (NKJV)

Paul warns the believers at Ephesus to "...be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don't be fools; be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good." (TLB) What are you doing with the opportunities God is placing before you? Are your eyes fixed on the finish line? Are you entertaining the crowds? Are you prematurely celebrating?

Believers can easily be lulled into a state of religiosity, observing, and entertaining the cloud of witnesses. Let me encourage you to passionately pursue Christ, get in the game as a participant, and bear down on the finish line! No Christian wants to stand before God as Lindsey Jacobellis stood before the world. Keep your eyes on Christ and make the most of every opportunity God places before you!

Myspace.com Follow-up

Last month, I posted an article entitled, "Don't Get Trapped in the Web" which warned parents of the dangers facing our children and our nation. Some thought I was an "alarmist," but time is now telling the story. Dateline NBC has since hosted two full hours of programming to raise awareness of the dangers surrounding Myspace.com. These programs revealed how pedophiles are setting up meetings with young girls and boys. Instead of the teen arriving for the meeting, the pedophiles were surprised by FBI agents and law enforcement. They were caught and arrested!

It didn't stop there! CNN has since done numerous reports regarding the same subject. A local teen in our area was expelled from a public school for what she posted on her website. A sting operation in our area resulted in the apprehension of a local pedophile tracked through Myspace.com. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division(S.L.E.D.) is now carefully investigating internet usage and myspace.com sites in our area. Even Sonoco has listed Internet safety among its top public safety concerns this year.

Why am I rehashing this issue? Because even when informed, some parents are naive! They look only at their child's site and think everything is okay. If they knew the workings of the site, they would be appauled. Too often, people hide their heads in the sand and think this kind of "stuff" doesn't happen in a small town... well it does and is!

I'm sure some still feel (and even argue) that reading your child's web page is an invasion of privacy. I remind you that when your child posts something to the "WORLD WIDE WEB," it is not noble to respect their privacy... it's ignorant and irresponsible! Everyone else in the WORLD has access to your child's thoughts, why should you be the only one who doesn't? Your children have plenty of "friends," they need you to be a parent. They may not "like" your action now, but they will "love" you for it later.

Excuses for Skipping Church

Now that we are officially a full month into the new year, some have probably completed the annual cycle of making a New Year's resolution and then breaking it. Without a doubt, some resolved to attend a church regularly this year, but due to the same empty traditions and sleepy sermons, you're looking for a way out. After serving in vocational ministry for 22 years, I’ve heard many excuses offered as to why people choose not to go to church. Some of them might sound like they have some merit, but others have launched me into laughter. One of my favorites was the family of five who all stayed home to wipe an infant’s runny nose. With that many people wiping it, I wonder if he had a nose left on his face. Another favorite excuse I heard, came from a fisherman who said that he had to go fishing, because his wife had a cold and they certainly could not go to church!

I recently came across a list by Mike Herman of Glen Ellyn, IL who took the excuses people use for not going to church and applied them to “10 Reasons Not to Bathe:” 1) I was forced to bathe as a child. 2) People who make soap are only after your money. 3) I only wash on special occasions like Christmas and Easter. 4) People who wash are hypocrites—they think they are cleaner than everyone else. 5) There are so many different kinds of soap that I can't decide which one is best. 6) I used to wash, but it got boring, so I stopped. 7) None of my friends wash. 8) The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough in the summer. 9) I'll start washing when I get older and dirtier. And 10) I can't spare the time.

Another list of excuses was developed by Mike and Amy Nappa entitled, “Why I stopped going to ball games:” 1) Whenever I go to a game, they ask for money. 2) The other fans don't care about me. 3) The seats are too hard. 4) The coach never visits me. 5) The referee makes calls I don't agree with. 6) Some of the games go into overtime and make me late for dinner. 7) The band plays songs I don't know. 8) I have other things to do at game time. 9) My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up. 10) I know more than the coaches do. 11) I can be just as good a fan at the lake. Finally, 12) I won't take my kids to a game either. They must choose for themselves which teams to follow. It is funny how pathetic these excuses sound when applied to neglecting a bath or boycotting a ball game, yet people rationalize these same excuses every week as legitimate reasons to skip church.

The truth is that excuses are easy to make! In Proverbs 26:13 (NLT), Solomon pokes fun at those who make lame excuses. He says, “The lazy person is full of excuses, saying “I can’t go outside because there might be a lion on the road.” I challenge you to eliminate your excuses and get involved in a good, active and growing local church in your community. The Bible says the day is coming when every man will be held personally accountable before God and will be left without an excuse.